College Football: 5 Power Five teams that will miss a bowl in 2017

Hurricane Irma could impact the Florida Gators season in a drastic way. Florida lost out on a near-guaranteed win in their canceled Week 2 home opener against FCS Northern Colorado. That makes the path to six wins that much tighter for the Gators, who fell to No. 24 in the newest AP Top 25.

Even if they had won that game, though, six wins seem much less likely than their lofty preseason ranking would indicate. In the season opener against No. 11 Michigan, the Gators looked inept on offense. Jim McElwain’s staff seems uncertain about whether they want to turn to Feleipe Franks or Malik Zaire as their starter at quarterback. Their running game is nonexistent, as Florida gained just 11 yards on 27 carries in the loss to the Wolverines.

After Hurricane Irma shifted around the schedule, the Gators’ home game against Tennessee could also be in jeopardy in Week 3. Rescheduling the game could be difficult, and thus Florida might lose out on another home game this season. After looking listless at a neutral site against the Wolverines, a shift in venue could further reduce the opportunity for victory against a divisional rival.

Now that they are playing only 11 games in the regular season, the Gators must get to 6-5 to have a shot at the postseason. With four currently-ranked teams (No. 23 Tennessee, No. 12 LSU, No. 13 Georgia, and No. 11 Florida State) on the schedule, the margin for error is nonexistent. Unless they turn things around quickly, the Gators might miss a bowl game for the second time in five years.